You might know many tips to improve sleep, such as limiting late-night technology, not eating too late, and keeping your room cooler. But did you know that aging affects how well you sleep and might be why you’re not getting high-quality rest?
Some surveys suggest that approximately 80 percent of people have trouble sleeping at least once per week, or they wake up feeling exhausted. As you get into your thirties and forties, you have more difficulty falling asleep, waking up more often at night, and — in general — not necessarily spending as much time in restorative sleep. And that only intensifies with each passing decade.
Part of the issue is that your body doesn’t handle your lifestyle decisions as well as it used to. Bouncing back from nights where you get less than 5 hours of sleep is harder. And, your body isn’t as good at metabolizing alcohol, meaning those drinks might wake you up more often or lead to lower-quality sleep.
As you age, you’ll typically experience a decline in deep non-rapid eye movement (NREM) or “slow wave sleep.” And it’s these slow waves that can help keep your brain young and preserve cognitive processing and memory.
So, what’s the answer? Aside from the myriad herbal supplements and prescribed sleep aids, the real secret weapon for deeper sleep might just be exercise. When you exercise, you break down your muscle tissue. Your body goes into repair mode, specifically during your slow-wave sleep. So the more you exercise, the more your body compensates by spending more time in the slow-wave rest — which is precisely what decreases as you get older. It’s the perfect way to force your body to do more of what it needs.
And the benefits are worth it, too. Sleep deprivation as you age is linked to many health problems and diseases. So by exercising, not only are you getting the movement benefits, but you’re also improving your quality of sleep.
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